Architecture

Morning News Roundup: May 28, 2014

Architecture news and views from around the nation and beyond.

Photos of the Day: The Pulitzer Arts Foundation's design to convert the lower level of their 2001 building, designed by Tadao Ando, Hon. FAIA, in St. Louis, Mo.

Credit: Pulitzer Arts Foundation

Credit: Pulitzer Arts Foundation

Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014): The designer died Tuesday at 83. The New York Times: "An admirer of the architects Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, Mr. Vignelli moved to New York from Italy in the mid-1960s with the hope of propagating a design aesthetic inspired by their ideal of functional beauty. He preached clarity and coherence and practiced them with intense discipline in everything he turned out, whether kitchenware, public signage, books or home interiors." The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Vignelli may be best remembered for his controversial 1972 diagram of the New York City subway system. The design was novel. It showed each subway line individually—allowing a clear indication of transfers and local and express service—and used only 45- and 90-degree angles." The Washington Post: "Mr. Vignelli argued the centrality of function — rather than fashion — in design."

ICYMI: The competition to design D.C.'s 11th Street Bridge Park was narrowed to four finalists. [ARCHITECT]